Wicked Night
by UnderminetheAuthority
Summary: A new evil has reared forth. A new enemy made of old friends rises from the depths of an everlasting night. A new friend made of old enemies lifts from hate. All fear and chaos erupts in Jump City, and it's all almost too much to handle, with Raven juggling all the problems of life and death, while at the same time trying to understand her mixed feelings for one strange boy.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Café Death Threat**

Raven stood atop Jump City's tallest tower, looking down at the sparkling lights and droning car flashes, admiring the view. To anyone from below or in the sky she appeared merely as a shadow and nothing more, and, as a result, would go totally unnoticed. The concept made her feel like batman—if high points were her thing, people certainly may think she was, too. But, on this fine night with her clock whipping in the breeze, the shady Titan wasn't out for a walk with an enhanced view.

She unfolded a slip of paper in her hands, giving its contents a twice over. With the words scrawled from heavy ink, and the edges burnt black, she knew it was no ordinary letter. It stunk of something evil.

And she found it on her bedside table.

Whoever had called her here was either pulling a prank—and would dearly pay for it—or had some serious business.

When Raven saw and heard no one for an hour and a half, more doubts arose. Crumpling the paper in her hands, she disappeared into midnight's cold curtain. A sickening feeling rolled in her stomach, but clearly, whatever the sender had wanted had already happened. But what? Send a demoness to stand on a building for 90 minutes to achieve what? The answer lay beyond her.

_"Perhaps you should not have done what the message declared,"_ Knowledge stated with an uneasy hitch in her monotonous voice.

_"I don't feel good…"_ Timid muttered later.

_"I did what I had to,"_ Raven snapped.

She could not deny, though, that something was wrong. Whether it was the trembling of her hands, or the burning in her chest, or the sense of eyes roaming the back of her head, something was dreadfully wrong.

_Come to the manmade arm closest to the sky, at the hour closest to the moon tonight,_ she recited inwardly. _Darkness is coming, at the hands of what should be both most dear and most feared. At the light of insanity and the spark of chaos, the most abandoned corner of minds will be reborn. Come or stake the hearts of they who will do the same._

There was only one possible explanation, one only possible reason also to why the message was for her.

Something evil had returned.

**-Wicked Night-**

Kyd Wykkyd slid like a cat in his pedestrian clothes, stalking past civilian by civilian on the street, then whipping off to another before each one could notice their pockets a little lighter. Soon his pockets would be significantly heavier, and then he'd be able to have a good break from the anchoring heists Jinx always had the Hive Five pull—and those usually failed, by the way. Usually his pocket money soon turned to a good cup of steaming creamy coffee, but sometimes it went the smart way into his savings. This was one of those not-so-smart days, when something warm would go well in his diet.

After dipping his fingers in the loose purse of a preppy looking woman, who he may have looted from already, Kyd made his way down to his favorite café, jingling precious loose change in his jeans. Oh, how the stupidity of others made his life so much easier. Sure, he felt a little guilty about using their fortunes as his own, but that guilt was overruled by what society owed him after how they all ruined his life.

There would be a lot of theft before he'd call it even.

He stepped into the quaint little building, slowly inhaling the warm smell of freshly ground beans and cream. After purchasing his routine white chocolate mocha (dark was just too dark, even for a villain like him) he made his way over to the seat he normally occupied—a low lit, rather gloomy corner table which suited his personality. However, he found that someone else was there too, putting her feet up where he put his feet, a tall glass of steaming tea gripped between fine fingers. Kyd knew it was a girl and not a guy, because no guy smelled so strongly of herbs and honey. One didn't even need hyper demon senses to notice.

Regardless and unwilling to surrender his place, he sat down across from her, trying best he could to focus primarily on his liquid treat.

All attempts in vain, though, because as soon as he got comfortable their eyes met. Instantly his cloudy crimson and quite mysterious pools of color sank into the girl's violet, surprised gaze, and Kyd was captivated instantly. How eccentric, the color, although he really wasn't one to talk. An unreal color. Unnatural.

But beautiful all the same.

The girl was dressed rather plainly, with skull print sneakers and black skinny jeans, complimented by a loose indigo shirt that dropped down at the chest to reveal a tank top of an even darker hue. A hoodie, also skull print, came up over her head, hiding her hair and forehead. Her hands and face, the only places where skin could be shown, seemed to have an odd gray color, tinted a warm sunset gold where the café's lights bathed over. Something about her seemed familiar—very familiar—but at the same time the little voice at the back of his mind said nothing was wrong.

The girl slowly narrowed her eyes. "What's the look for?" She questioned with a so very bland, yet scrutinizing tone. Kyd blinked and turned away, taking one long sip of coffee.

"Nothing," he replied, with a voice just as deep and rolling. "I've… never seen you here before," he added as an afterthought.

"I don't come here often, and usually not at a quarter to one."

"I see."

Another stretch of silence. Kyd could not shake away the sense of mild recognition, the way the stranger before him spoke, glared and peered around the room. He couldn't tell what she was looking for—if she was at all—but he could tell the anxiety she tried to hide. The edges of her fingers shook and twitched the occasional quick breath in; it was obvious to him. He was good at reading others like that.

"What's bothering you?"

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He blamed it on the fact that his father was a psychologist.

She looked at him as if he'd grown another head.

"Nothing's bothering me. Except for you."

"It's kind of obvious—don't try to lie," he replied, an eyebrow quirked up. "You look like someone who was just sentenced to death."

He was met with a glare.

"Sooo…why are you at a café so late?" Kyd tried again.

"I can ask the same to you."

"Daytime just isn't my thing."

"I see."

"…Although coming here is more of a way to get away from annoying friends."

The ghost of a smile graced her lips. "I can relate."

For a while, the two strangers made small talk—exchanging local news, and the like. Kyd each second felt more and more that this person was special.

The girl got up to leave, tossing her empty cup of tea away. Kyd did the same with his drink, and they walked outside into the crisp air. The sun had yet to rise—not even the warm glow if its presence could be seen radiating over jump's towers. Before she could walk away, he grabbed her hand. It was stone cold.

"What was your name again?" She asked before he could.

He decided he'd say his true identity. What harm could come?

"Elliot…. Knight."

She smiled and her lips parted to speak. But, before a thing could be said, the world exploded around them.

* * *

First chapter kinda sucks...yeah. Sooo, as you can see I put the A/N at the bottom instead-anywho, pairings here include the following: Raven/Wykkyd, Hotspot/Argent, Flinx, BB/Terra, and more of which I'm not really gonna say yet, cuz they develop late and aren't as obvious. I'll update more 2 weeks from now, when marching season is over. So? First chapter? Plus? Minus? Neutral? R&R plz!

~Undermine

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Next: "The Missing Jewl, the Missing Heart". A series of abnormal occurances and an old friend returned bring restlessness to the Titans.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Missing Jewel, the Missing Heart**

Deep in the hollow chasm of a solidified volcano, the stone statue of a hero girl stood in solitude, blanketed by darkness. It had been exactly a year since the statue came to be, but no dent nor weathering had come upon her. Only the gentle creeping of soft moss invaded her lean figure, giving color.

Then, upon the little memorial stone planted at her feet, where dead roses had withered, a chunk of rock fell. Cobwebs of cracks suddenly broke out on the statue, which was now no longer a statue. Now, emerging from the gray cask was the girl herself, a hundredfold more battered than a year ago.

However, there was no mistaking the determined spark in her cold blue eyes.

_I'm coming, Beast Boy,_ she thought, taking her first weak and stumbling steps. _You and all the titans…need to hear what I've learned. Please let me not be too late…_

* * *

The first thing Elliott saw was black. Then a dark, dark red, then a white so bright it hurt his eyes. It was then he realized that he was sprinting involuntarily along the street, one arm limp and the other being pulled by the strange girl. Explosions wracked the buildings on both sides—debris of shapes and sizes showered to the ground, breaking every which way. Even the sky was alight with color, flames that spouted from falling skyscrapers.

A nearby car crashed full throttle into another.

Bang. Soon both cars were nothing more than bits of metal.

It took some time for him to comprehend that something wasn't right. _Obviously_ wasn't right. It looked like someone was bombing the city—though he noticed that there was no way something like that could happen.

The earth shook, and both of them tumbled to the ground. This time, he pulled the girl out of the path of a rampant truck, watching as it cascaded past the area she once stood only moments before.

Another bang.

They wasted not another second, and dashed in the cover of an abandoned building, finding safety in its basement. After shutting the door and gathering his thoughts, Kyd collapsed to the ground. He desperately wanted to slip his mask out from where it lay tucked beneath his jacket and resume his identity as the villain he was, but knew that it wasn't a great idea. A citizen was with him—no matter what, compromising identity, no matter your affinity, is a huge mistake. However, he had to get back in contact with the HIVE.

Plus, there was the current situation in general. He was a villain only by fault. Kyd Wykkyd would never be able to forgive himself if this girl got hurt or even died if he could have helped.

"Do you know what's going on?" She asked, her still monotonous voice bringing him back to reality.

He shook his head. "It's probably the work of some villain," Kyd concluded, suddenly feeling like a real hypocritical phony, which he was. "I can't count how many times the city has been thrown into turmoil because of them."

"Tell me about it," she murmured, a strange look passing her face. Then it was gone. "Let's get out of here."

"Are you sure? Whatever is going on won't treat us nicely with buildings collapsing."

"Exactly. Therefore I conclude that this place isn't precisely safe either."

An explosion and a steady rumble punctuated her point.

"I have a…friend," she continued. "He has a safe house we can wait in for the time being. Here."

Her slender hand stretched out and met his, slipping in his palm a slip of paper she's just scribbled an address in. "You can say you're a friend of Rachel's."

Rachel, a nice name, he thought, before shaking it out of his head.

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"No," Rachel replied quickly. "There's something I need to do first."

"Then I'll help you."

"I can handle myself," She argued. Both of them stared down, unaware of the room getting less steady by the second.

"You say that like you've got nothing to fear," Kyd shot back. "Like you're a meta who can take on the world!" He'd never raised his voice before, much less showed enthusiasm. He'd also not realized the magnitude of his words.

"You're one to talk."

Kyd prepared some sharp counterattack until the rumble reached his senses. Then there were cracks running across the ceiling. They'd been too busy to notice the place start to cave in.

He dashed forward, and grabbed Rachel in both arms, praying for the best.

* * *

Raven groggily woke to a bright light, turning her head away from it as if it burned her skin.

"Raven? You okay?"

_Blurry vision…a headache… sore all over… I'm okay all right_. She could only see shapes, bright ones, and then ones the exact opposite.

"Raven?"

She rubbed her eyes to reveal the muddled image of Kole above her, holding a wet rag on her forehead. The younger titan's face was concentrated and concerned, and definitely not nearly as happy as usual. Instantly, Raven sat up in a rush, and with the rush of pain that bombarded her skull came the rush of her day's memories. Elliott. Where was Elliott?

She looked around, and saw she was back in Titans tower. Jericho was next to Kole, but that was all she saw. All the other titans were gone, and no Elliott in sight. Her eyes widened. Did he not make it? Or, rather, how did she get here in the first place?

"Are you alright?" Asked Kole, worry etched into her voice.

Raven cracked a smile. "I'm fine. Did you see… anyone else with me?"

She tilted her head to one side. "No…When all the explosions… the earthquake as Cyborg refers to it as, started, we found you in front of the tower covered in scrapes. Currently, it's just us here—the rest of the titans are out fighting.

That perked her up. "Fighting? What?" She could remember no enemy—only gravity was her…_their_ enemy before.

Kole shook her head. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. Robin and the rest are telling me nothing. And Jericho here is trying to keep me in the tower. I'm strong enough to defend myself!" She huffed.

Raven sunk into her thoughts. As far as she knew, Kole was a strong girl, both in willpower and strength. Why would Robin reduce their combative power?"

Standing up and putting her hood over her head—she found that her hero attire was comfortably restored—she prepared to teleport. "I'm going."

"I'm coming with you then!" She persisted, just wanting to help.

"Kole—"

"You're injured. If you can get out there and risk yourself, so can I, a completely unscathed titan."

"Robin probably had a good reason for keeping you here. Maybe…"

"Please?" She begged. Raven looked down at the girl and sighed. She _hated_ puppy dog eyes.

"Fine."

And so the three—Jericho couldn't help the situation—teleported into the city, with the hard pit in Raven's stomach refusing to disappear.

She first noticed the heavy, musky air that flooding her lungs, almost suffocating. The place looked absolutely polluted—dirt clouds making it hard to see, smoke rising in black pillars to skewer the skies, fire leaping from place to place. It was not some ordinary quake, for Jump City never had quakes. The first thing she id was pull out her communicator ad contact Robin, whose face appeared moments later.

"Raven! I'm glad you're alright," he exclaimed. "I'm glad you're in action, too."

"Yeah," she replied, making sure he couldn't have view of Kole.

"Try and find Cyborg as soon as possible. I can't reach him—he's entered a radioactive zone near the southern subway. Get there, he'll fill you in."

She nodded, and tucked away her communicator. Radioactive? This was not good.

Deep down a sense of dread filled her. This was too conveniently placed. Perhaps the plans of evil were already underway.

She'd find the cause.

Quickly explaining Robin's orders to Kole and Jericho, they dashed to the subway station. She preferred to not go underground, though, until it was absolutely necessary. One tremor and they'd be dead.

It wasn't long before a shadow entered her peripheral vision, and slammed into the side of her head. Raven was flung across the street to crash into the side of a building. She saw stars.

"Raven!" Kole yelled. Then there was a bright light. She pulled herself to her feet in time to see her with one crystal fist in the air, sending out beams of luminosity, clearing the clouds. Jericho narrowed his eyes. Now, with the area clear, they could see exactly what enemy the titan's had met.

Surrounding them were creatures that resembled men, only with no clothing and skin made of metal. Hands were morphed into huge single blades, and faces covered by steel masks that seemed to grow out of their spines. A single red light glowed in the center of the mask, radiating an evil presence that made her stomach churn.

There had to be at least ten.

Two in the front charged at frightening speed for Kole, but she was ready. A shield of crystal blocked the attack, and while the metallic creature reeled from recoil, Jericho took control. Before the second one could strike, the now possessed beast impaled the things with its own dangerous weapon. Two down, eight to go.

Raven chant her mantra, disappearing then reappearing behind the herd of metal men. With a concrete slab in one telekinetic hand, and a street lamp in the other, one more fell after being driven mercilessly into the road. However, her victory was short lived, for soon another jumped from behind. She was able to block just in time, but the strike was powerful, and took a great deal of energy to suspend with her magic. The street lamp whacked it aside, and the red light flickered out as Jericho pounced onto it.

Kole was having bigger problems. The remaining ones had circled around the small girl, who created a hard ring to prevent them from getting closer. However, with each successive attack it got weaker, and finally cracked.

Raven and Jericho dashed through. The latter parried an incoming attack that would have otherwise hit Kole, whereas Raven did the best she could to fend off several more that dropped down from the rooftops. There were so many, just swarming…

It would be too risky to fight them all.

"We have to get out of here," she called to Jericho, raising her voice above the grinding noises the metal men produced.

A black platform materialized under them, hastily levitating. They didn't get far, though, before another wave of metal men came. It almost looked like they came from thin air, dropping down and shattering the platform. In the corner of her eye she glimpsed Jericho out cold, and his real body coming back to life. His voiceless lips screamed a single word, but she couldn't make it out. Sleep found her.

* * *

Beast Boy and Cyborg demolished the last of the metal men. They'd just come out of the subway when Robin asked him if he'd seen Raven. Then he'd found her later, about to get killed, and covered with injuries. First they were beyond worried until they realized that she wasn't really hurt, just exhausted, as if something just sucked away all her energy in one gulp.

And now she'd just come to.

"Second time today," she muttered spitefully.

"You're sure you're fine, Rae?" Cyborg pressed, uncomfortable by the blood that soaked her.

There was a guilty look on her face. "I'm fine. Just dandy. But Kole and Jericho…"

"What? They aren't here. They were supposed to stay at the tower."

"Exactly…I…this is my fault. They came with me…I damned knew they shouldn't have."

This wasn't good.

"They couldn't have gotten far, and I don't think those _things_ were off to kill," she continued. "I have to find them right—"

"Right when you're in the condition to," Cyborg cut in.

"He's right," Beast Boy said. "Dude, you look terrible."

Raven glared.

Cyborg looked at her, ignoring the changeling. "Tell me what happened."

"Wait!"

"BB," he growled, "Shut up now, kay? We need to figure out why Kole was taken, if Rae even knows that."

"I'm serious. Wait. I smell something."

"Smell what?"

He sighed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Something not good. Just listen. There's something behind the building."

Raven nodded slightly. She didn't have a wolf's smell, but could hear slow, dragging footsteps. It wasn't a metal man's footsteps, though, which were quick and rang through the air.

BB gestured for them to set up an ambush. Back hugging the wall corner, he put up three fingers. Two. One.

They exploded from the edge.

"Beast Boy?"

* * *

Beast Boy stopped in his tracks, fur no longer bristling, and instincts no longer on edge. He couldn't believe his eyes. Was this real? A fantasy? Another cruel dream that decided to haunt his night? No. This was real all right. Now he recognized the smell—not the smell of blood and metal, dirtied like the metal men, but the smell of earth and tears. The smell of natural dirt and moss. But also, behind that heavy scent, the smell of something putrid. It confused him.

Terra stood before him. That, though, was clear enough. She was still wearing Slade's uniform, only the back was a little torn. It in no way looked faded, though her skin was deathly pale and her hair slightly singed. Her eyes, those beautiful, beautiful eyes looked at him with relief, happiness and so much more, all thrown in a tumble of emotion.

"Terra!" He exclaimed, not knowing how to react. BB ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug, where she collapsed. Impossible. She really was alive. Not stone. Not dead. So why was she so cold…? His fingers moved up and touched something wet. A little sticky, too. Then, as his mind began to grasp what it was, he looked over her thin shoulders in horror. In her back, where her heart should have been, there instead was a gaping hole. Black liquid had come out in quantifiable amounts, staining her whole back black.

"Raven! Cyborg!" He yelled. "Bring us back to Titan Tower!"

Raven walked over to see what was wrong—when she did, her eyes went wide.

"Now!"

* * *

Meh, sketchy chapter, too much going on for too little writing finesse. This one's long, but some will be a lot shorter. Leave your thoughts! Things are starting to roll.

~Undermine

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Next: "The Message". Raven discovers that perhaps the message was not just for her.

Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Message**

Standing on an ocean of hot blood was a boy, almost an adult yet not quite there, donning a black robe dark as the shadows that covered the ocean. Lightening struck and waves churned into surreal tsunamis around him, yet they did not affect him. His hands were scaly claws, flickering with black magic. His feet too were claws, dangerous reptilian claws that looked not the least human. Yet his face… was a distinct mix of both. A human face, not of kind, with scales and eyes such a bright red they burned, with fangs hidden inside, obsidian in color, and with pointed ears that hardened into horns at the end.

My son, a voice echoed, from nowhere yet from everywhere, a time of great pain is nearing…

"What do you mean, father?" The boy called back, his voice rolling and zapped with inhuman energy.

_There is great trouble in the realm of evil and magic...this is something that has never been faced before…_

"Tell me what's wrong! Is she alright?"

_I can no longer see your world, my son, not without losing my mind. I fear for the worst…_

A crackle of lightening lit up the sky, followed by the roar of thunder.

_I'm losing control… losing energy… my mind is fading away, my son… I cannot hold on…_

"Father, tell me how I can help! I can help you. I can give you—"

The boy felt the waves around him begin to swallow him up. Walls of water towered above him, arching, frothing…

"Go and find her…and stay safe. Run away from the nightmare, my stupid son…."

Then the waves came crashing down, all at the same time while the voice ceased to speak for good.

* * *

Kyd Wykkyd woke up in a cold sweat, chest heaving, eyes blurred with something he'd never experienced—Fear. He couldn't banish the last words of his father as they rang through his head. Run away from the nightmare.

And what precisely was this nightmare? A literal dream? A figurative metaphor for the tremor that ran through Jump? Neither?

Either way, he knew at least one thing that had to be done. Teleporting out of his room and into the main hall of the HIVE 5 HQ, he checked the time. Two in the morning. He'd barely gotten a wink of sleep. Meanwhile all his hive brethren had already gathered in the hall for some strange reason, and were staring him down like he'd just admit to being a girl.

"Where were you, Kyd? I called us all down here half an hour ago!" Jinx, the team leader, snapped, patronizing with that cold look of hers. He shrugged.

"Well just listen in for a bit. This won't take long."

Gizmo muttered something about how it always took long, but apparently Jinx decided to ignore or didn't hear his comment.

"So we all know that the city is in as much turmoil as ever, right?"

Several nods came as reply. Somehow, Kyd knew what she'd say next.

"Which means this is a perfect opportunity for a surprise raid, or sabotage on the titans. Currently, I can bet that they're all scattered around the city like flies, tending to civilian emergencies and fighting whatever's the cause of this destruction—which is most likely in favor of us in general. I mean, we're villains. This is the perfect situation. The lot of us can easily take down a titan duo."

"Those crud munchin' titans deserve something coming their way; teach em' not to mess with the HIVE when it's turned to our home turf," Gizmo agreed, snickering in his rude way.

See-more just nodded and smiled—he agreed with anything Jinx proposed.

"So," she continued, "Who's in favor of whipping the titans?"

Everyone except for Kyd and Mammoth voted in—Kyd never votes, though, so she wasn't surprised with his answer, or lack thereof. So, Jinx stared down Mammoth. Then Mammoth stared back.

"What were we voting on again?"

* * *

Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Robin sat on the couch, silently staring at the same empty spot. All the other titans were around them as well, more or less confused about what was going on. Argent and Flash were going around making sure everyone was fine, but other than that, there was nothing going on. However, Raven could tell that it was the polar opposite, what was unvoiced. A din of thoughts could be heard from each and every one of them—thoughts of panic, fear, sadness…anger. Especially from Beast Boy.

Only Starfire's thoughts were unreadable, shrouded in a mist her spirit couldn't penetrate. Raven didn't dwell on it, though. Probably some alien mind trick.

Cyborg stepped through the white double doors, the ones that led to the infirmary. He was wearing sterile gloves, but they were black. She was quite certain that they were white when he walked in. His face was blank, though she read feelings of blatant confusion.

"Is she fine? I have to see her!" Beast Boy snarled. Raven hadn't ever seen him this angry, not even when Terra had betrayed them.

Cyborg gave him a long, hard look. "I dunno, BB… she's not dying anytime soon, I'll tell you that, but I don't know if she could even be considered alive."

Robin got up and left. Argent followed him, and Starfire watched as they left. Inside her, Knowledge was restless, but didn't speak. Then, Beast Boy ran into the infirmary, leaving the rest of the titans to stare at Cyborg's black hands, which grasped something he hadn't revealed before. His large fingers uncurled to reveal a single red stone, in the shape of a dragon, completely untouched by the black, vile liquid. Though, something about the way it shined, or perhaps in its brilliant color just mesmerized the empath, silencing her inner selves...

* * *

Beast Boy stood in front of Terra's still body, staring at every feature in her face, before kneeling at her bedside. She was dressed in a simple clean sheet, perfectly white, and so perfectly matching the color of her skin. Her hair too had lost color, but as he ran it through his fingers, he found it was even softer than before, just like silk.

Slowly her eyes opened, and he sucked in a worried breath involuntarily. "Terra, how do you feel?"

She stared at him. Then a smile broke her lips.

"Don't play doctor with me, Garfield. I'm fine."

So she still had her snark, and she still had her sense of humor. That was a plus. Beast Boy put his warm hands atop her icy ones, trying not to show how afraid it made him. So it wasn't a hallucination. She really did… She really has no more warmth.

"It's gone," Terra sighed, reading his thoughts and rolling her eyes. "When I awoke from my stone sleep, it was gone. I don't feel any different, though—no more blood runs through my veins, yet it feels like it's still somewhere. Just not here."

"I swear I'll fix…whatever has happened. I swear," he promised. He had seen her hurt for so long, every week, every day he'd visited her and talked to her, even if she didn't hear his corny jokes and his stories and his retellings of the titans' adventures. Even if she didn't hear his tears and see his pained face. He'd never moved on. He won't take seeing her in pain worse than that.

The love of his life looked into Beast Boy's eyes, as if she was trying to communicate some message he wasn't deep enough to read. Then she laughed. "You've changed so much during the past year. It's like you're a whole other person."

She meant it. When Terra first saw him she was unsure it was really him. He'd grown, first of all, taller than her now. He matured inside and out. She could see a new fire burning in his chest—a bright, blazing, furious golden fire she couldn't see before—and she could see the knowledge in his face. Beast boy was no longer the scrawny, joking, naïve kid she had a crush on. Now he appeared in front of her as a muscular, bold, perfect spirit she'd never consider letting go. Never again would she make such a fatal mistake.

Beast Boy let go of her hands, and she felt the heat leave her own. "I'll be better by tomorrow, Gar," she murmured. "I'm only tired, not wounded."

He nodded, getting up in the process.

"And Gar? Before I forget, take this. Bring it to Robin."

In her hand was a little slip of paper, slightly charred at the edges. It smelled of metal.

* * *

Raven, Argent, and Starfire were gathered in a secluded corner of the main room when Beast Boy came out, clutching a slip of paper, and heading toward the three. Raven had just finished informing Argent and Starfire about what had happened, and now it looked like new information was rolling their way.

"Is she alright?" Raven asked gently, concerned for Terra. During the short time the earth manipulating teen was genuine with her feelings, they'd developed a bond not so easily severed by her betrayal; after all, she'd come through in the end, saving their lives with a deadly cost.

"She's going to be okay," he grinned, and they let out a breath they'd not realized they were holding.

"Will friend Terra be active soon?" Starfire asked, true concern in her words. However, Raven had the faintest feeling that she was only expressing the skin of her worries. Beast Boy too had something hidden behind his jokester grin, but it seemed like she wasn't getting free access into his thoughts today.

"Yes, actually," he answered. "She says she'll have recovered by tomorrow."

"That's great news," Raven replied.

"Yeah."

With that, he started to take his leave.

"By the way, what's with the paper? Did she give it to you?"

He looked at her a little strangely, but didn't reply.

Raven frowned. She could've sworn that the paper looked too familiar…

* * *

Robin stood before his desk, arms already aching, , his hands already bruised and bloody from working on the sandbags in the training room. His mind was filled with images—images of the past. Images of the pain and the suffering of his friends, images of Starfire, images of Slade. Slade. Slade. Always him. H he seemed to haunt him endlessly—in his sleep, in his mind. And now he was back again, as Robin predicted he would be.

The message had to be from him. It had to be. Who else could it be from? It all reeked of Slade and his tricks and games of death and murder. The city was in ruin because of him. People died. Innocent citizens died. Titans could have died.

Kole? Missing, just as he'd anticipated from the message he'd obtained just the night before.

Jericho? Missing, or even dead. He would die a million times to save his love.

Raven? She almost died twice.

Starfire?

Robin seethed, glaring into the darkness of the night that peeked through his window.

If she ever fell, god help her killer.

A knock rang through the silence. Hiding away the two charred messages on his table, he turned around at the same time the door creaked open. There, standing in all her innocent beauty, was Starfire herself.

"Friend Robin… are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine," he snapped a little too quickly. She frowned and looked a little to her feet.

"My senses do tell me that you are not fine… did I do something wrong?"

Collapsing onto his chair, he let out a sigh. "No, Star, I'm just stressed out. All this business… all this about metal men and missing hearts and Terra…it's all getting to me."

He paused, letting a feeling of defeat creep through. "I just feel like this is my fault. I feel like there was something I could have done to prevent this madness."

"But you didn't, or you made the wrong choice," she finished softly, her emerald gaze burning.

"Maybe, Star. Maybe."

Starfire felt the distance in his voice, the way he looked at her through his mysterious mask. They'd been in a relationship for months now, but the past events had been too much. All the little stresses in their almost perfect relationship were peeking through now, and she felt she could do nothing to stop them rushing out. So occupied by these thoughts she was, that she didn't notice Raven's presence disappearing down the hall as she left Robin's room.

* * *

The titans organized themselves into several patrol groups. The metal men, as far as they knew, had fled somewhere that no one could find or think of. But everyone still held their suspicions, and the majority of them decided it was time to investigate the cause of all the ruin.

Argent, Raven, Flash and Speedy made up one squad. Raven personally thought it wasn't a great group—to egoistical bunches of energy in one team? It had to turn out swimmingly. Argent, though, was someone she was willing to work with, and could relate with quite well.

Starfire, Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg occupied another squad. It sounded like a pretty core combination, even though she wasn't in it. Aqualad and Wildabeast made up another. And another, Hotspot and Herald and Bee. By the time everything was all organized, though, Raven's team had already left, not wanting to listen to the protests of all the other groups. In fact, both witches of the squad had to pretty much force the boys out the door…or, more accurately, into Raven's teleportation shadow.

"Well that was irritating," Argent muttered audibly in her heavy accent, referring obviously to the two bickering boys behind her. She gave a pointed glare to Raven, who almost smiled. "Why couldn't _you_ help get those two useless and immature wastes of oxygen on the move?"

"Sorry, didn't want to kill anyone," she replied, laughing inwardly. Argent glared some more.

"…Well I'll see who's better at running this team!" Yelled Speedy angrily, jumping at Kid Flash. Unfortunately for him, KF was soon meters away, laughing obnoxiously as his 'friend' instead tackled the ground.

"Bastard! You run away like everything don't you, 'cuz you're not strong enough to beat anyone in a fair fight."

He shrugged, chest puffed out. "When are fights ever fair, Speedo?"

"Get over here you—"

Argent snarled a string of rude remarks and dirty curses before picked up her pace. "Can't they shut up for two seconds?"

Raven shrugged absentmindedly, pushing away a different thought that her inner selves attempted to pursue. "Boys will be like that."

She snickered as reply. Just when it was starting to get a little quieter, a new voice pierced through the early morning air.

"It's you're unlucky day, Titans!"

So much for a break from danger.

* * *

I think my last chapter was better. I've decided to add an interesting twist to the story I was thinking of some time ago,, but it won't be that much different than what I initially planned. I would have updated sooner, but then Sandy decided to come along. I've had no power or connection for days, and won't until some time (I can only post this 'cuz I'm freeloading off a friend). I'll do better next chapter! Though, take note that I'm also at the same time trying to put in equal attention to other characters, and I'm not really good at that xD Thank you to all the people that have reviewed in my past chapters! I really appreciate it!

kellie1999: Thanks 3 First reviewer :)

Brendan-Mudk: I think silent Kyd is better—I tried that first, but then realized that it's waaay too hard for me to handle x.x

moonkitty717: Thank so much! I'm pretty much writing on the fly, but hey, be in for surprise ;)

PoyoCat: Thanks ^.^ BBRae is sooo overrated, if you ask me , and Terra needs more love.

Nkcandygirl: Thankya :D

TheBlindRaven: Thanks a bunch! As for clarification, I don't even know how I'm supposed to do it. Afterall, I need to clarify it with myself first xD

Again, thank you to my reviewers!

~Undermine

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Next: "Never Rise Again". What do the Titans think when the next day comes by, and the sun fails to come up? Raven starts to realize why the citizens of Jump need the Titans, and why she fights for them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: Never Rise Again**

A black cat slinked through the shadows of an old alley, its beautiful purple eyes glimmering in the cold moonlit sky. Each step and leap of the feline was partnered with not a single bit of sound, not a tap as clawed paws landed, not even a rustle of fur. It was as if the cat itself had become part of the night, melting into one of the shadows themselves.

She let out a soft mew, and stopped in her tracks to sniff the air before continuing. Then she stopped altogether, sat down, and wrapped a long, silky tail over daintily clawed feet.

A silhouette appeared behind the cat, and reached its hand out, large and monstrous, to envelop the unaware animal in its shady grasp.

* * *

Kyd looked down at his civilian clothes, thinking slowly about his day, before tossing them into the nearby laundry bin. That girl…Rachel... who was she really? That address was the address of Titan's Tower. First he had been utterly confused. Then he came to the conclusion that she probably just knew someone there. Which was strange.

Titans usually didn't acquaint any civilians.

The subject bothered him, even as he fought to push it away. Her business is her business, just like how his is his. He wanted to see her again, though, because when he was around her, she gave him some peace of mind that had never existed in his life before. He was drawn to her in a way he couldn't comprehend.

He remembered talking to Jinx, the person who he thought of as his older sibling, about something of the sort. She called it love. Love, though, was something he'd never really experienced. Not love, love towards family and friends, which he had. She described it as a love that made you feel alive, new, and ever the changeable.

Kyd thought he didn't feel such a thing and never, ever would. He only gave feelings to a select few.

"Seems like they're doing precisely what we thought they would," Jinx mused from where the Hive Five gathered in the streets. "Separating. Travelling weak across Jump City, vulnerable."

"So what snot brains d'we pummel first?" Gizmo asked eagerly, wanting to take advantage of their enemies' confusion.

She smiled. "The ones coming right toward us."

Just then, she pointed down the road, where Kyd could see with his enhanced vision, a few moving specks. Then she motioned to the roof of a building near them, and the group scaled it on command—Gizmo with a propeller, Kyd by teleportation, and Mammoth with Jinx climbing easily.

The only thing left was to wait. They could all assume that they'd be performing attack pattern Beta, and he guessed that it would do the trick. He could sense four people, but only two of them generated significant magical power. In fact, one generated so little that it was hardly noticed.

In a matter of time, voices could be heard, and got louder with each passing second. Bickering, to be precise, of two boys and a girl. Soon it sounded like they were right below, and…

"It's your unlucky day, Titans!" Jinx yelled, all of them dropping down for ambush.

* * *

Kid Flash, fastest boy alive, grinned as the words of the love of his life split the not so quiet atmosphere. He sidestepped just in time to dodge a well aimed hex, but discovered that it won't be an easy fight, as Jinx appeared conveniently behind him to launch a kick. It clipped his wrist that instinctively went up to block, stinging furiously. It would be bruised in the morning.

Seems like she was learning fast, he thought lightheartedly. She was keeping track of his habits, and actually hit him on her first…er…_second_ try!

"Nice shot, Jinxy!" He laughed, blurring away to evade yet another flurry of attacks. "But not nearly enough to stop someone so strong as myself!"

"Who said I was trying to stop you?" She snickered. Kid Flash, also the dumbest boy alive, raced on, contemplating what she meant. Then a split second later, he found himself on his back, head hurting furiously, after slamming it straight through a wall.

"That's cheating!" He whined.

"Only if I didn't warn you."

* * *

Meanwhile, Argent faced off with Mammoth.

The duel was clearly in her favor. Every time he charged ahead like an ox, she merely swat him aside with some conjured tool, like a hammer, or a supersized wrench, or a beam, or most recently with a chainsaw.

"You just don't give up do ya, big guy," she sighed, watching with a yawn as he pulled himself to his feet yet again. He growled and charged again, but this time succeeded in shattering her chainsaw in a million little bits. He followed through with a heavy punch, one that she was only just able to block at the last second. However, she underestimated his strength, and gave a grunt as she was slammed back.

"So you have spunk after all!" She smiled. This time with both hands, the witch summoned up a cannon.

Looks like he only succeeded in driving himself deeper through a wall, after all.

* * *

Raven looked calmly ahead as she and her opponent circled. As always, she was stuck with the mysterious Kyd Wykkyd, who didn't look to surprised either with being stuck with the secret demoness. They'd fought each other so many times, yet for some reason, she felt like he was so much different and so much more unpredictable than before.

They both made a move at the same time, teleporting to meet at the middle, magic flaring to awe inspiring peaks. Waves of black light collided and pushed back and forth, shattering randomly only to blast up at a different direction. To any normal person it looked as if each spectral attack was totally unseen, but the two could track each other perfectly.

Kyd disengaged, and charged a bubbling beam of dark flames from his hands. Raven muttered her chant repeatedly, extending her mental grasp over the abandoned cars around her. She hailed them onto him as he stood stationary, looking in pleasure as he was hit ruthlessly. But, it was all one for one, as a volcano of heat hit her from behind. She clenched her teeth as fire burned her arm and devoured her cloak, but showed no signs as she was forced to discard her favorite article of clothing.

It was a strange thing, being injured by him. Frequently she would be the winner. Frequently he would be the loser. Now it looked like they were on even grounds.

Raven didn't know what his thoughts were, though, for none of them voiced their opinions. They weren't ones to stall and talk in the middle of a fight—that was their teammates jobs. However, for the first time ever, she tried to search his mind for his thoughts.

At that instant, he appeared behind her, and they clashed magic once again. This time though, they sustained a constant stream of energy, two beams of pure and unbridled force fighting for dominance. Still she searched his mind. As she did so, unable to stop, his force slowly but surely began to overpower her own demon force.

If she could find his mental barrier and shatter it…tease the mysterious meta's mentality…

_Get out._

* * *

Argent stood over Mammoth with a crowbar in her hands, ready to knock him out and end their little game. Right as she was about to bring it down, concluding their battle, there was an explosion so loud it reduced her hearing to a high pitched ring which quickly subsided. A wave of energy blew past, and her eyes focused for just enough time to see a gray-ish purple dot crash through building after building.

"Crap…Raven!" She yelled, taking off to aid her friend.

"Too late! Attack pattern Echo!"

Four signals were lost.

* * *

Raven was breathing heavily, covered in grime, but otherwise undamaged. Her hands shook with energy, but her body devoid of it. It took everything she had to block that one attack, she if Kyd or anything else found her, she'd b done for.

That wasn't the big thing, though. Her mind was rattled worst of all, scrambled and turned about. Get out. That's what he said. As soon as she broke his barrier, that's what he said. But what she felt…? She felt something so familiar, but so unidentifiable. Something powerful and dark and weak at the same time. Knowledge was in deep thought too.

She sighed and stored her troubles away into a dusty corner of her mind—it was something she was pretty good at doing—and focused on the problem at hand. And that was that she had to contact everyone else, tell them about the Hive, and that they'd suddenly gotten stronger. But, when she pulled out her communicator, it was broken, smashed to bits and smoking.

"Great, just what I need," She muttered poisonously. "Guess I just have to walk back to the Tower."

Get back to the tower, Raven thought, looking around, suddenly remembering where she was. That itself might be an issue. After going through multiple buildings, she was now high up in an apartment room. Someone's apartment room. It was obviously occupied, given the crude furniture and the TV, turned onto some weather channel. She could also smell something cooking. Seafood?

Either way, she'd better get out before whoever was living here discovered the battered visitor and the hole in the wall she came through.

Or that's what she thought, until Kyd's presence returned. The dark, eerie presence, not his usual mystery aura. It was much more vague, but there. Definitely there.

_It would be unwise to encounter Wykkyd again, _Knowledge advised. _He was stronger than I anticipated…_She trailed off, not wanting to finish the phrase. Knowledge hated not understanding things, and Wykkyd was one of them now.

Raven ignored her personas, and stepped deeper into the room. _No, he doesn't know we're here yet. I can take him out even without powers; he's underestimated the daughter of Trigon._

_But..but…what if he does know we're here?_ Timid questioned. She faltered. That was a possibility.

_Please! That's impossible. We are the POWER! Wykkyd's overpowering US was a fluke! _Brave declared.

_Go on_, she continued to coax. _We'll show him the power._

That's right. What chance did Kyd Wykkyd have against a demon from the deepest depths of hell?

She crept into hallway which led to the bedroom, past the main room, and to where she felt Kyd's magic. It radiated calmly, and certainly not cautiously. He will never know what's coming. In the bedroom, around the corner, she could see flashing lights. And a moving shadow. Searching and gathering what little drop of energy she had left, Raven dashed soundlessly inside, preparing to launch a fatal blow and—

Stopped.

* * *

Jinx smiled victoriously as Argent collapsed to the ground, Gizmo behind her with an empty syringe. It was just a drug—the sorcerer won't be waking up any time soon, but it wasn't poisonous. They may be villains, but not all villains were murderers.

Kid Flash, the biggest nuisance in her life, stood strapped to a street lamp. Binding him were special handcuffs that neutralized his super speed—no longer was he able to simply vibrate his way through their steel cages.

"Come on Jinx, you know you don't want to do this," Flash frowned, trying desperately to convince her. "What is the point of attacking us when the city is falling apart? Sure the world's not ending, but this is some serious stuff. Serious stuff that could seriously hurt innocent people, your friends and mine alike."

"Nice speech pretty boy, but this is our chance. Did you think we'd lay low when this is when you're weakest?"

"There's always options…"

"Not for me, there aren't. Now shut up!"

Tempted to try again or just flirt for good ol' days, he decided against both and gave a resigned groan. He'd just have to trust her. When it came down to it, she always made the hero's choice. As for him? He was out of commission for now. And so was Speedy—the fool hardly lasted two seconds—and Raven—he didn't know where she went—and now Argent, who he thought may have made it out had they not teamed on her.

Mammoth and Gizmo started searching Speedy for something useful. See-more, on the other hand, just returned from his little patrol around Jump.

"Weird news," he began. "Kyd Wykkyd is nowhere to be found. I suspect he's chasing after that hooded chick. But, well, weird thing… I thought I saw him in some old apartment building, only without his disguise. Why'd he take it off?"

Jinx narrowed her eyes. He'd never do that; he was always overly careful. "Go and check it out for me."

As he left, she turned back to Argent, propping her up on a bench. She looked like she was sleeping, now. Knowing just where to find one if there was one, she searched the Titan and successfully stood up with a cell phone in hand, jet black and dappled with a variety of dark schemed paints. Sure her communicator shattered, but hey, most modern girls in style had cell phones—Argent definitely classified as in style.

She scanned her contacts and hit the jackpot. Then she called up a number, and smirked.

"Hey _Hotspot_, how's it over at east end?"

"_You—is this Jinx? Hey! What did you do to Argent? If she's hurt, I swear I'll—"_

"Cool it. Geez, you boys are so annoying sometimes. Or all the time. If you want Argent, come get her!"

* * *

None of them understood. Robin could never understand. Neither could Aqualad, or Cyborg, or Bee, or anyone else. After a whole argument, a whole fight of rage and reason and lack thereof, Hotspot decided to go on his own. From the beginning he'd been flying solo, and now he'd realized that it always was his calling. He'd find Argent and they'd leave, get their own problems and their own solutions. He didn't care that she didn't even know he liked her. He didn't care, he'd just make her safe.

The pyro propelled himself through the sky with fire at his heels, feeling the air freshen his blaze. Then he checked how much time he had left.

It was 9:30 in the morning. Man, how time flew.

Jinx called him at 8:45. He knew she'd get tired of waiting, so he was going to make sure she wouldn't be waiting that long anymore.

Then it hit him. It was past 9 in the morning, so where _was_ the morning? The moon was gone, too. So where was the sun?

Deeply regretting what he was about to do, Hotspot pulled out his communicator and called for Robin.

* * *

Raven was ready to give her all, just like always, and show once again that the Titans always won, even though that was never her motive.

And then she realized that the person before her wasn't Kyd Wykkyd.

It was a girl with frightened red eyes, a simple tank top, and pajama pants. It was a girl younger than her, with long black hair, sharp and ending at her waist. A girl with a black cat on her lap, and it was a girl whose body relied on a frail wheelchair.

* * *

I could do better. It didn't turn out like how I wanted, but oh well. I'm pretty much writing on impulse anyway. In the chapters to come I'll be putting more focus on minor characters too. Hope it stays interesting!

~Undermine

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Next: "Secrets". Raven and company are in an unlucky predicament, but what will she discover while in the clutches of the Hive?


End file.
